Bike Friday Miscellany

A global look at cycling, thanks to Sightline's friends.

For about half the year, I’m a reasonably committed bicycle commuter. (And that sentence should tell you a lot about my level of dedication.) During the darker and wetter months I tend to get my daily exercise in other ways, such as by eating.

True, Alan Durning (aka “the Bossman”), who rides virtually every day, did manage to get me back on the bike one frosty morning recently. And though I’ve been feeling good about completing at least one December bike commute, it’s really nothing compared to what some of Sightline’s friends have been up to.

For example, when the going gets tough as it did last winter, a real man, like our former research consultant Dan Bertolet (who now runs the ever-more-important Hugeasscity blog), whips out mountain bike tires with metal studs.

Or consider Deric Gruen, a former research intern and consultant for Sightline, who is making his way around a good swath of the world with his bicycle and a basketball. (In addition to being a smart guy, he’s remarkably talented at hoops.) So far, his accomplishments include things like joining two Critical Mass rides… in Beirut.

As if that’s not hardcore enough, Deric’s just boarded a plane for the next leg of his journey: biking from Mozambique to Cape Town. You can follow along here.

In another corner of the world, we’ve got Andrew Engelson, the former editor of Washington Trails Magazine, who moved with his family to Hanoi. Andrew has long been a dedicated bike commuter, even pulling his two daughters to preschool. And now, he’s back on the bike :

The difficulty is when something unexpected happens. If you need to swerve, you’re kind of at the mercy of those behind you. The whole system is based on no sudden moves. So I just biked conservatively and stayed as far right as possible. The “Three Feet of Room” sticker on the child seat on my bike is now a wry joke here in Hanoi. I’ll take three inches, thanks!

And then we’ve got John Mauro, a longtime friend of Sightline, who probably wins the prize for sheer feats of strength. Last summer, he biked from Seattle to Mount Rainier, successfully soloed his way to the summit, and then biked back home. Yikes

But I have a feeling that these folks are not the only uber-dedicated cyclists among Sightline’s readers. In fact, I’m almost positive there are more good stories to tell. So leave them in comments!

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Comments

Anne

December 4, 2009 at 2:29 pm

Alan was our inspiration for getting around on bikes in Seattle. I read the year of living carlessly start to finish. Good stuff. Thanks for the inspiration! Our family enjoys biking around the city and blogging about it at Car Free Days.

I haven’t owned a car since 2005 and have used my bicycle as my primary form of transportation since then.I lost 40 pounds in the first 4 months of commuting by bicycle.I went from being out of breath after climbing 3 flights of stairs to bicycling from Seattle to Spokane, Seattle to Portland three times, Seattle to Vancouver Canada, Rainier Oregon to Astoria to Florence, Bend Oregon to Boise Idaho, and lots of local riding. Vacationing by bicycle is awesome!:)I write from time to time for http://www.seattlelikesbikes.org

I biked through two winters in Cleveland, OH, wearing ski gear to guard against frostbite. They’re good about salting the roads there, so it wasn’t as tough as it sounds [I am *not* hardcore enough to do the studded tyre thing], but most people did seem to think I was crazy.I’ll tell the other story with a picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eldan/91692795/in/set-72057594128748438/

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